Destroying the Vongola
by Ninja vs Chicken
Summary: Before Tsuna was born Giotto feared that his true heir would never appear. Taking matters into his own hands he reincarnated. Now Tsuna is about to inherit the Vongola title while Giotto is trying to destroy it. AU G27 *Rewritten*
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn

This is the first part of chapter 1 redone. The next chapter will be out soon.

A big thank you to Rekishichizu for beta reading this chapter XD

**Enjoy**

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><p>Prologue<p>

Italy, five years before Sawada Tsunayoshi is born.

In an ancient room filled with expensive furniture and vintage books, Vongola the Ninth sat behind a sleek mahogany desk covered in piles of folders. One folder in particular held his attention; it was a beige folder with disturbing contents. The words on its' pages told him that his son, Enrico, the favourite to become Vongola Tenth, had tortured and killed the youngest son of a relatively weak allied family. At the bottom of the page was a statement by Enrico saying that the man had mocked the Vongola, as well as the Ninth, and his death was unintentional.

Sighing, he leaned back in his brown leather seat, making both his legs and the chair creak. He had been doing this for far too long; nothing shocked him anymore. A small part of him felt disappointment, both at his son's actions and how badly he had covered up the situation, but he was in the Mafia and knew these things happen. What worried him more was the feud that could emerge from this if the situation was not handled with care.

Unbeknownst to the Ninth, the apparition of a young blond man stood behind him. He, too, had been reading the folder and, unlike the Ninth, his face showed clear disgust. The man was Giotto, founder of the Vongola. For eight generations he had waited for his true heir, the one who would put an end to the Vongola, but from what he knew of the current candidate for the title of Vongola Tenth, he would have to wait a while longer. A part of him wanted to rip the young Enrico to pieces and let someone else become the heir, but his brothers weren't any better, and some were even worse, especially the youngest, Xanxus. Giotto grimaced at the thought of that child on the seat of Vongola Tenth. He was beginning to believe his true heir would never appear. With a stern face he pondered that thought further. Since his death he had never met anyone, born into a Mafia family, with ideals like his, and maybe that was the problem. They were his ideals, and waiting on the chance for someone like him would be born was costing people their lives.

In front of him the Ninth sighed and flipped a page of the folder to reveal a picture of what could have been a human, but the body was too mutilated to tell. Giotto recoiled in disgust while the Ninth kept an impassive face and began to read the text beneath the picture. Deepening his grimace, Giotto gave a curt nod of agreement to his previous thoughts. He has made up his mind: he would take matters into his own hands and end the Vongola himself.

Giotto disappeared from behind the Ninth in order to go and speak with his guardians. The moment he did, the Vongola ring suddenly began to glow. The Ninth jumped out of his seat in response, and his eyes quickly skimmed the room before looking back down at his hand, but nothing happened. Experimentally, he used his ring to light a flame. To his surprise, the flame was a lot smaller than he had expected, and he was pretty sure it wasn't as pure, either…

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><p>Italy, four years before Sawada Tsunayoshi is born.<p>

It had almost been a year since the Ninth received the folder telling him about how his own son had killed the son of an allied family. And ever since that day, the power he channelled through the Vongola ring felt a lot weaker. He suspected it had something to do with the reason why the ring had begun to glow, but all his investigations into it ended up fruitless.

At this moment in time he and his son, Enrico, were at a party celebrating the birth of Enrico's best friend's son. After introducing his father to his friend's wife, Maria, Enrico and his friend had gone off somewhere to chat, leaving the Ninth alone with the wife.

"What's his name?" the Ninth asked as he looked down at the little bundle curled up in his mother's arms. The child had inherited his mother's blonde hair and blue eyes.

"Giotto," Maria responded. "He wouldn't stop crying until he heard that name, so it felt like we had no choice." The Ninth chuckled in reply.

"How did you get to the name?"

"Oh, we tried everything. He just wouldn't stop crying—such a strange child. You know, the doctor who delivered him swore he saw a flame on Giotto's head when he was born." After seeing the surprised look on his face she continued, "He even claimed that this month three other children had been born with flames on their foreheads!"

"Flames? Well, if that's true, I'm sure your son will grow up to be very strong," the Ninth muttered as he leaned down to Giotto and smiled. The prospect of having an ally with flames strong enough to be present at birth excited him slightly. His son had chosen a good man to be best friends with. "Oh! Actually, did you see where En—"

*Bang* The Ninth was cut off by a sudden sound that was worryingly like a gunshot. He immediately straightened up and rushed towards the cause of the noise.

"Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" It seemed like someone had beaten him to the source. Other people began to run towards the screaming woman. As he got closer, he could see a few people turning away, and one person had run to the phone. Someone recognised Timoteo and started speaking to him.

"I'm so sorry Timoteo. I don't know what happened but—" Timoteo pushed the person aside so he could see what was causing so much commotion. Lying face down on the ground in a pool of blood were two bodies, one of which was his son, Enrico. The other was his son's best friend. Red matted their hair around the identical holes they had in their heads that were obviously from a gunshot. Timoteo tightened his grip on his walking cane and averted his eyes. He knew why his son was dead, and he knew who had done it.

He slowly pulled out a phone. He couldn't do anything about his dead son, but he could make sure that the people who were responsible paid for it.

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><p>A small Island, fourteen years after Sawada Tsunayoshi is born.<p>

A large metal handcuff locked itself around the young woman's neck with a loud clang.

"The loser is Suzuki Adelheid," a bandaged man in a cloak and top hat declared.

"Vindice! What's the point in all this? You're making us fight one another, but we're not learning anything about what truly happened between the founders of Shimon and Vongola!" the young Sawada Tsunayoshi yelled.

"This is all a test of the current bond between the Vongola and the Shimon," Vindice replied. Tsuna gritted his teeth. When they'd arrived on the island, the Vindice had shown up and declared that, because of an old promise between the Vongola and the Shimon, the loser of each battle would be taken away to their prison. Although the Vindice seemed to know all about what had happened between the first heads of their families, they've refused to show or tell them anything about it.

"You haven't won just because you've beaten me. Just wait until you face Enma. He'll avenge us," Adel hissed before the Vindice yanked her backwards into a black void like they had the other losers.

Up in the foliage on the cliff above the tenth generation, Daemon and Chrome stood. There was also a third person with them, hiding behind a tree that was situated next to the pair. One of his hands had Daemon's arm in a grip.

Daemon narrowed his eyes. "Why are you stopping me? You wanted to take down the Vongola, and my plan will do just that."

"I wanted to take down the Vongola," the man replied, "not a bunch of kids."

"You're barely an adult yourself," he retorted.

"You'd be the same age as the rest of us if you'd agreed to reincarnate."

"There was no need. I still have a body, even if it's not my own, so technically I'm not dead." The man behind the tree sighed.

"Daemon, this plan of yours isn't going to work. That boy you had injured—the happy one, Yama-something—he's healed and heading here. I had to send Knuckle to delay him, and now they've managed to defeat this girl too. Your chances of taking them down will be a lot better if you stick to our plan."

"Nufufuf... Fine. I'll 'destroy the Vongola' with you," Daemon said in a snide tone, causing the man behind the tree to sigh again. He knew Daemon will be hard to handle, but in the end he needed the illusionist for his plans.

"And the girl?" the man asked as he pointed to Chrome.

"I'll return her for now, but maybe not just yet. They can have her if they defeat Enma," Daemon said before turning to walk away.

Once Daemon was safely out of sight and out of earshot, a black mist appeared by the tree the man was leaning against.

"Vindice," the man acknowledged.

"Giotto," they returned. "What do you want done about the final fight between the heads of the tenth generational Vongola and Shimon?" Giotto smiled to himself at how compliant the Vindice could be when you had something they wanted.

"If the leaders manage to reconcile, release everyone from both families."

"You've been asking a lot of us. First you ask us not to show them anything from the past, now their release?"

"I thought you were willing to do anything for Bermuda."

"...You'd better be telling the truth," the Vindice replied, a hint of a threat in their words.

"Don't worry. After this, you'll only need to stick to the original agreement and you'll get what you want."

"Very well—we won't interfere with anything you do to the Vongola." Giotto nodded and turned to look down at the tenth generation below them.

"Don't forget to release everyone. That includes Rokudo Mukuro. He'll be needed later."

"Fine, but ask nothing more of us," the Vindice said before disappearing back into the black mist.

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><p><strong>Done<strong>

I hope this has cleared some things up.

What do you think. Better or worse than the original?


	2. Chapter 2

Main story starts here.

Disclaimer: I don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn.

**Enjoy**

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><p>Japan, Sixteen years after Sawada Tsunayoshi is born.<p>

In the small town of Namimori located in Japan, a high pitched scream penetrated the air. It came from an average-looking house that was known around the neighbourhood for the noise it made. A few minutes later, some loud stomping and ear-splitting crashes could be heard as someone scrambled to get down the stairs as fast as they could.

"Bye Mum," a sixteen year old boy called as he wrenched open the front door.

"Eh? Tsu-chan, where are you going?" The boy's mother called back, but she was drowned out by another voice.

"Hey, Tsuna, what took you so long? We've been waiting for you," a boy named Yamamoto asked cheerily. The boy stood outside the gate of Tsuna's house; next to him was another boy named Gokudera. They were both dressed in casual wear and had luggage by their side. A vein popped on Gokudera's forehead as Yamamoto spoke.

"Juudaime got here at the perfect time. You just got here too early," he growled out to Yamamoto.

"Eh? Really?" Yamamoto began. "But I thought—"

"You never think!" Gokudera yelled back.

"G-Gokudera-kun! Calm down, and why are you guys dressed like that?" Tsuna asked hastily.

"Eh? What do you mean?" Yamamoto asked in return.

"I mean, you can't go to school dressed like that." Yamamoto laughed at Tsuna's reply, and Gokudera glowered at him for laughing.

"We're not going to school. Reborn told us we got invited to a party in Italy, remember?" Tsuna sweat-dropped. He should have realised that this was Reborn's doing—everything strange in his life was the baby's fault.

"Reborn!" Tsuna called out.

"Ciaossu," a squeaky voice said from his feet. Tsuna screamed and stumbled back.

"HEEEIIII! Reborn! What's going on?" Tsuna demanded. "I don't remember you saying anything about going to Italy!"

"That's because I didn't," Reborn replied without batting an eye.

"What? Why not!"

"I didn't want you running away. Last week I got a letter from the Ninth. To sum up its contents, you'll be attending a Mafia party tomorrow," Reborn replied looking innocent.

"I'm not going to anything Mafia related! And why didn't you say something earlier?" Tsuna wailed.

"Don't make me repeat myself," Reborn said as he turned Leon into a hammer.

"Heiii! I'm sorry!" Tsuna cried. Reborn sighed at his student's cowardice before slamming him into the ground with Leon. Gokudera quickly rushed to Tsuna's side.

"Juudaime! Are you okay?"

Tsuna whimpered as he pulled his head out of the mini-crater. "Y-yeah, I'm fine."

"Your flight to Italy is in a few hours so we better get going," Reborn commanded.

"I'm not going to Italy, and there's no way I'm attending any Mafia party," Tsuna protested. "Besides, what about school?"

"You can't back out now: think of all the important Mafia people you'll anger, and there's no need to worry about school. They were very understanding when they heard about your sick, dying father." Tsuna was between cringing in fear at the thought of all the angry Mafia people, and sighing in exasperation at Reborn. In all the years since the infant had walked into Tsuna's life, Tsuna had gotten a little more used to the idea of being in the Mafia, but he would still protest every chance he got.

Tsuna groaned in defeat and, sensing he had won, Reborn turned Leon into a long rope and wrapped him around Tsuna. Screams of protest erupted from him, but his two best friends could only watch as he was dragged off.

On their way to the airport, the only comment on what had just happened was "I didn't know Tsuna's dad was sick." To which Gokudera's reply was a snort of disbelief.

* * *

><p>Half an hour later in Namimori's local airport, Tsuna trudged luggage-less behind Reborn. A tired sigh that turned into a groan escaped his lips as he thought about the horrors tomorrow would bring.<p>

"Sawada! You're finally here, to the extreme!" a familiar and very loud voice bellowed. Tsuna looked up to see a young man pumping his fist into the air.

"O-Onii-san, you're here?" Tsuna asked in surprise.

"Dame-Tsuna, all your guardians are coming," Reborn informed him.

"Eh?" Tsuna yelped before searching the surrounding area for everyone else. He couldn't see Hibari, but Chrome and Lambo were already standing by Ryohei.

"Good morning, Boss," Chrome muttered shyly as they got closer.

"Morning, Chrome," Tsuna replied, turning to the girl and giving her a bright smile. Since the moment Mukuro had been freed from Vindicare, the illusionist had refused to work with the Vongola, so Chrome officially became Tsuna's mist guardian. Beside her leg, Lambo stepped forward.

"Baka-Tsuna, what took you so long? Lambo-sama got bored of waiting!" he complained loudly. "Give Lambo-sama candy to make up for it."

Tsuna gave him an apologetic smile and replied, "Sorry, Lambo, but I don't have any on me."

Lambo puffed out his cheeks angrily and cried, "Lambo-san wants candy!"

"But I don't—"

"Lambo-san wants candy! Lambo-san wants candy!" Lambo wailed. Seeing Lambo's teary face, Tsuna began to panic.

"Wah! Uh, w-wait Lambo—" he began, crouching down next to the child. Lambo's wailing stopped for a moment but the tears remained. "Oomf," was the next sound Tsuna uttered after Reborn kicked his head from behind.

"Gyahahahah!" Lambo burst out laughing as Tsuna slammed into the ground for the second time that day.

"Get the damn cow some sweets," Reborn commanded.

"Yeah! Let's go to the extreme!" Ryohei yelled. Tsuna covered his ears from the volume of the boxer's voice and watched as Ryohei ran off in a random direction.

"O-Onii-san!" Tsuna called after him, but he didn't stop.

"Go get your sun guardian while you're at it," Reborn said. "We'll be by the boarding gate. Don't be late," he threatened with an evil glint in his eye.

"Heii!" Tsuna yelped as he practically jumped into a standing position.

"Get going." Tsuna cried softly to himself whilst trudging off to find Ryohei and get Lambo some candy. Gokudera and Yamamoto shouted words of encouragement to him as he left.

Tsuna wandered around aimlessly in search of the white-haired boxer. He had thought that Ryohei would have started challenging someone to a boxing match by now, and all he'd have needed to do was follow the commotion to find him, but unfortunately it seemed like today was the one day in his life that Ryohei was going to behave himself. With a groan, Tsuna decided it would be more productive to get Lambo's sweets first, so he headed for one of the little shops.

But as he got closer to the entrance, a nagging feeling started to creep into the back of his mind. It felt like he was being watched. Looking around him, Tsuna couldn't see anyone suspicious, so he tried to ignore it. When he placed a hand on the handle of the glass door, a chill went down his spine, and he quickly let go. He spun around to see if anyone was there, but all he could recognise were the throngs of people going on holiday.

Suddenly, the hair on the back of his neck jolted up. It felt as if whatever was watching him was now behind him, inside the shop. Slowly he turned his head to look through the still-closed glass door. There were only a few people inside, none of whom were paying attention to him since he was outside, but his intuition told him something was wrong with what he was seeing. An illusion, maybe? He didn't want to stay and find out.

Tsuna quickly walked away from the shop whilst making sure he could see the entrance from the corner of his eye. For a moment he thought he saw the door open, but no one left. All of the sudden, a pounding feeling—rather like the ones he got with Mukuro—crept into his head. The longer he walked, the stronger the feeling got. Despite the fact that there was no evidence of anyone following him, his intuition was screaming at him to get away from there. But just as he was about to break into a run, he heard a familiar, and very loud, voice.

"Where am I to the extreme?" Relief washed over Tsuna as he rounded the corner and saw Ryohei standing there. It was easy to spot him since no one wanted to go near the man who was yelling to himself.

"Onii-san," Tsuna called in a happy yet desperate voice.

"Sawada!" Ryohei yelled back with a wide grin. To Tsuna's relief, the pounding in his head and nagging feeling of danger slowly dissipated the closer to Ryohei he got.

"Onii-san, everyone's gone to the boarding gate. We should head there too," Tsuna said kindly. Ryohei nodded back and followed him. They returned to where Tsuna and his guardians had parted ways, and from there they asked some passersby the way to the gate.

By the time they found everyone, a very disgruntled Hibari was with them.

"H-Hibari-san! You're here," Tsuna stuttered in surprise. Hibari just glowered in response.

"Ne, ne. Lambo-san's sweets?" Lambo asked, tugging at Tsuna's trousers. Tsuna froze as he realised that he had forgotten to get some.

"I wasn't able to get any. I'm sorry Lambo. I'll go get some now."

"Idiot." Reborn scoffed.

"B-but, Reborn, there was—"

"I know. It's better to stay together for now." Tsuna looked at Reborn with surprise. He was astonished that the baby had felt it too, even though he had been so far away. What Tsuna didn't realise was that it was his hyper intuition that had warned him; Reborn, on the other hand, sensed bloodlust emitting from their stalker.

"Okay..."

"But," Tsuna gulped at the sudden add on. He knew it couldn't be good. "As punishment for not getting the sweets, you have to sit next to Lambo for the entire trip." A look of despair crossed Tsuna's face as he slumped his shoulders. "Well, let's get going," Reborn said happily.

The rest of the trip to Italy was uneventful, or as uneventful as a trip with his guardians could be, but Tsuna couldn't help but be wary towards everyone they met.

By the time the plane landed, Tsuna was exhausted and tense. Lambo and Gokudera had spent most of the flight shouting at each other, and Hibari had not taken well to the 'crowding' caused by being in a plane. He was sure he'd be finding new bruises for months to come.

Tsuna groaned again, already wanting to go home. The feeling intensified when he saw the people waiting to greet them. His father, the Ninth, and the Ninth's guardians, as well as about forty men in black suits, stood there holding a sign with their names on it. All the civilians were clearly avoiding the large group of suspicious looking people.

"Tsuna!" his father called as they got closer. He strode forward to give his son a painfully strong hug. The men in suits behind him chuckled at the display.

"Dad," Tsuna whined. With a wide grin Iemitsu pulled back so he could get a proper look at his son.

"It's good to see you. How was the flight?"

"Fine..." Tsuna muttered as his eyes trailed away from his father. Searching for something else to look at, his eyes ended up on the Ninth.

"Welcome to Italy," the Ninth said with a wrinkly smile. Tsuna jumped nervously at being addressed by the powerful man. Behind him his friends all gave cheerful replies.

"Ciaossu, Ninth," Reborn greeted as he jumped onto Tsuna's head.

"Good evening, Reborn," the Ninth replied happily before addressing everyone else. "I hope you've all been well. I have arranged transport for everyone."

"T-thank you, but where will we be staying?" Tsuna asked nervously. His father laughed and laid a hand on Tsuna's shoulder.

"The Vongola mansion, where else?" Iemitsu said with a grin.

"Eeeehhh?" Tsuna cried in surprise.

"I thought it would be obvious. Now shut up, Baka-Tsuna," Reborn scolded. The men in black suits exchanged glances and raised eyebrows at Tsuna's behaviour.

"Let's get going. We have a schedule to keep to," the Ninth announced. Everyone instantly sprang into action and ushered them outside.

As the group exited the airport, three sleek black limos pulled up to them, each with equally black range rovers situated both in front and behind. A man, who Tsuna presumed was the chauffer, opened the door for them, and Tsuna got in a limo with Reborn, the Ninth, and his father. The guardians went in the other limos. All in all, the ride was relatively quiet save for a few comments about the passing scenery from the Ninth.

Eventually a large, and ancient, mansion came into view. Tsuna realised it was the Vongola mansion when they ascended the gravel pathway. Looking out the window, he let his jaw drop as he saw the vast acres of land that lay beyond the neatly trimmed hedges lining the driveway.

He still had a look of complete shock when the limo stopped and everyone, apart from his father, got out.

"I'll see you tomorrow, son," Iemitsu said. Tsuna snapped out of his daze to turn and look at his father.

"H-huh? You're not staying?" Tsuna asked, slightly surprised at himself for feeling disappointed at this.

"I've still got work to do back at the office. I'll see you tomorrow at the party," he replied from inside the car. The limo soon drove off, and Tsuna watched it leave for a while before turning his attention back to the mansion.

"This place is amazing, right, Tsuna?" Yamamoto, who was standing to his left, asked.

"Y-yeah," Tsuna replied weakly. Yamamoto gave him a worried glance as the Ninth stepped forward so that he was next to Tsuna.

"It's impressive, no?" the Ninth questioned, watching Tsuna out of the corner of his eye. "One day this place will be yours."

"B-but, Ninth, I don't want to—"

"Haha, you can let an old man dream, can't you?" the Ninth interrupted jovially. "Now then, we should head inside. I'll get someone to show you to your rooms—you must be suffering from jet lag."

Everyone followed the Ninth towards the entrance, but before they could reach the dark wood front doors, two butlers opened them for the group. Inside, a wide hallway with a broad staircase at its centre greeted them. The Ninth motioned for some of the butlers who were standing off to the side to come forward.

"Winston, Asari – show these young men, and lady, to their rooms," he said before turning to address the tenth generation. "Unfortunately, these are the only butlers here who speak Japanese. If you have any questions, please ask them. I must go now as I still have work left to do. We will talk about tomorrow at dinner tonight." And with that the Ninth turned and left them.

"I'll be going with the Ninth, so don't do anything stupid while I'm gone," Reborn warned before walking off after his boss.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Young Masters, and Miss," one of the butlers said, with a deep bow and professional smile.

"Likewise," Tsuna said, bowing back. Seeing his boss bow, Gokudera quickly did the same, as did Yamamoto and Chrome.

"Please do not feel the need to be so polite to one such as myself," the butler said as he straightened up, and everyone, apart from Yamamoto, noted how much like Yamamoto he looked. "My name is Ugetsu Asari, and this is Joseph Winston," he said, bringing their attention to the old man to his right. The man bowed and began to speak.

"You will all be sleeping in rooms next to each other, so if you would kindly follow us, we will show you the way." The butlers stepped forward to take the guardians' luggage. The one named Asari went to take Tsuna's, but stopped when he saw he didn't have any.

"Reborn insisted I travel as light as possible," Tsuna explained sheepishly. Asari just smiled and went to take Gokudera's luggage instead.

"Lambo-san wants candy," Lambo yelled as they were about to leave. Tsuna groaned—that was all he had been saying since they left Japan. The old butler, Winston, took some chocolate out of his pocket and handed it to Lambo. He instantly quietened down, and the entire tenth generation took a sudden liking to the old man. Asari chuckled as he led them up the stairs and along a corridor with red velvet carpet and full-length windows.

It wasn't long until Asari stopped in front of a door and took three keys out his pocket.

"I'll be attending to your guardians," he told Tsuna before turning to face everyone else."This is young master Sasagawa's room. If you could please wait here for a moment, I'll show you to your rooms shortly." Asari then opened up the room in front of him and motioned for Ryohei to follow him in. As the man left, Hibari gave him a death stare that clearly stated he wanted to be rid of all the crowding as soon as possible. His hostility made Tsuna back away in fear and bump into the elderly butler behind him.

"Young master Sawada," Tsuna spun around to face him. "I'll be charge of all your needs. Your room is at the end of the hallway," Winston informed him. After waving goodbye to his friends, Tsuna followed the aged man down the corridor. They stopped outside an ornately carved wooden door. The butler produced a key and unlocked it.

The room inside was huge, and yet very plain. An impressive double poster bed sat in the middle of the room while an oak wardrobe and table lined the walls. The only problem with the room was that it had no personality to it. "Please make yourself at home. I will return at dinner time," the butler said before leaving Tsuna alone. He distinctly heard the click of a lock as the door closed.

Tsuna sat down on the bed and pouted. He wondered how he was supposed to make himself at home when he didn't have anything he owned with him. Sighing, he flopped his back onto the bed. And what really confused him was why he had been locked inside his room. He hoped it had just been a mistake. Whilst thinking, he closed his eyes and was soon in a deep sleep.

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><p>Tsuna awoke to the sound of knocking. After a few moments of wondering what the sound was, he drowsily lifted his head to stare at the door. When the knocking came again, he scrambled out of the bed, trying not to trip, and rushed to open the door.<p>

"Y-yes?" he mumbled. The elderly butler, Winston, stood on the other side.

"It is time for dinner," he said impassively.

"R-right!" Tsuna replied whilst trying to smooth down his hair, in order to look more presentable.

"You look very respectable, Young Master. Now, shall we go?" the man said, before turning away to lead him down the corridor.

Winston guided him to a large room containing a long table where the Ninth, his guardians, and Tsuna's guardians sat around. Even Hibari was there. Tsuna felt a little embarrassed at being the last to arrive, and he promptly sat down in the seat Winston directed him to. He was situated to the left of the Ninth who sat at the head of the table. Reborn sat to Tsuna's right.

"Bring everything in," the Ninth commanded in Italian. Some butlers and maids hurried off to fetch dinner. "Right, now shall we begin discussing tomorrow?" the Ninth asked rhetorically, switching to Japanese.

"The party will start at seven tomorrow. You and your guardians will make your appearance at seven thirty," Reborn informed them, addressing Tsuna and his friends. They all gave nods of understanding.

"I'll be introducing you to the heads of some families throughout the night," the Ninth told Tsuna, who tried not to show his unwillingness and nodded in reply.

"That means you'll have to spend all day tomorrow memorising the names of powerful Mafia people," Reborn said sternly. Tsuna gulped – that didn't sound fun to him. Before anyone could say anything more, the butlers and maids returned with plates full of pasta. Finally realising how hungry he was, Tsuna dug in feverishly. The Ninth smiled at him and decided to tuck in himself. The only person who didn't start eating was Gokudera.

"What's wrong Gokudera-kun?" Tsuna asked when he noticed.

"He's just a little upset," Yamamoto replied for him.

"I am not upset—I'm _worried_, baseball freak," Gokudera growled back, though he was quieter than usual because of the Ninth.

"Worried?" the Ninth repeated, looking serious.

"I don't mean to be rude, sir, but the tenth isn't properly protected! Our rooms are too far away from his!" Gokudera cried unhappily. The Ninth seemed to let out a sigh of relief.

"We'll have your rooms changed so that they're closer, after the party tomorrow," the Ninth said with a smile.

"Thank you for your kindness," Gokudera replied happily before proceeding to eat. Tsuna both smiled and sweat-dropped at Gokudera's overprotectiveness.

Making their way back after dinner, Tsuna noticed that there were a lot more guards now than there had been this morning. He also wondered why the Ninth had insisted that they return to their rooms and not wander around the mansion. Tsuna said the usual goodbyes to his guardians as they reached their rooms until he came to Gokudera's, whose was the last.

"Good night, Gokudera-kun," Tsuna said with a small wave.

"Tenth!" Gokudera called as Tsuna was about to leave. "Everyone here, all their actions, they seem a little... suspicious. I think they're hiding something from us," he whispered. Tsuna looked at him surprised before turning serious.

"I think so too... but the Ninth would never want to cause us harm. Still, be careful," Tsuna said in a commanding but quite voice.

"Of course, Tenth," Gokudera muttered before entering his room. Tsuna turned to the old butler who had been leading the way to each of their rooms. He didn't look like he'd heard what they had said, but Tsuna's intuition was telling him otherwise.

"Shall we go, Young Master?" the old man asked.

"Yes," Tsuna replied after a long pause.

After a quick goodbye to the butler at the door, Tsuna collapsed onto the bed and curled up into a foetal position. He scanned the room for anything suspicious. Noticing some pyjamas had been laid out for him, he tried to get up but found that he was too tired. Instead, he crawled across the bed and peeled off his clothes, chucking them onto the floor. After putting on the pyjamas, he dove under the bedcovers, and fell asleep within minutes.

* * *

><p>As Winston walked down one of the corridors away from Tsuna's room, something outside the window caught his eye. The Ninth's mist guardian, Bouche Croquant, seemed to be talking to someone. He could only see them because there was a light from a downstairs window shining on the two. The person Croquant was talking to stepped forward, and Winston thought he saw something glinting. Suddenly, the downstairs light went out, meaning he could no longer observe them, but in that moment before it had disappeared, he'd seen a glimpse of the other man and recognised him. Winston walked to the window and peered out in order to try and see what was going on.<p>

"Winston? What are you doing?" someone asked him. Winston turned his head to see Asari looking at him.

"Outside, it looked like Croquant was talking to someone... someone who was armed." He hesitated to add the last part because of who the person was.

"A weapon? If he was an intruder, the alarm would have been called. I'm sure it's nothing, or maybe you saw wrong?" Asari reasoned.

"The person with the weapon wasn't an intruder."

"You recognised him?" he asked in surprise.

"Yes, well, I can't be sure, but I think so."

"Why don't we go outside and check?" Asari's demeanour had become more serious.

"I think that's a good idea. No need to raise the alarm over nothing."

* * *

><p>The next morning Tsuna was woken up by a green mallet to the head. Groaning in pain, he rolled over onto his back, but he didn't have to look up to know who the culprit was.<p>

"Get up, Dame-Tsuna. You've got work to do," Reborn said, kicking him off the bed. Tsuna hit the ground with a heavy thud and he groaned again.

Not a moment later, some rapid knocking came from the door. Tsuna laid there in pain for a while, but when the knocking became more urgent, he picked himself up from the carpet and walked over to open the door. On the other side he saw Asari holding some clothes.

"Pardon my intrusion, I heard a thud. Are you alright?" he asked worriedly.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine. It was just Reborn kicking me," Tsuna answered, mildly surprised to see him.

"He kicked you?" Asari repeated with a small frown.

"It happens a lot." Tsuna replied before inquiring, "Where's Winston?"

"He didn't turn up for work this morning, so I am filling in for him," Asari explained. "I hope it is not too much trouble."

"Ah! No, no, it's not a problem," Tsuna said frantically as he moved aside to let Asari in. Asari placed the clothes in his hand on the bed once he had entered.

"The suit is for tonight, the T-shirt and jeans are for today," Asari informed him and added, "Would you like me to dress you?" almost teasingly.

"No!" Tsuna shouted instantly whilst waving his hands in front of his face. Chuckling, Asari bowed and left the room after picking up the clothes Tsuna had left on the floor. Tsuna noticed Reborn eyeing Asari warily as he left.

"Reborn?" he asked. Reborn's dark look didn't disappear. Instead, he kicked Tsuna in the head and told him to hurry up.

Later, he left to go to the library with Reborn and was accompanied by four well-built butlers, none of whom he had seen before. He spent the entire day sitting in front of Reborn, trying to memorise the names of important family bosses. By the end it felt like his brain had exploded, and he was no closer to remembering a single one of their names.

At six, Reborn decided that they should finish up, and Tsuna needed to go get ready for the party. He enthusiastically agreed and was escorted back to his room by the same butlers as this morning, though Reborn didn't go with him this time.

He was left alone to slowly fail at getting ready by himself.

* * *

><p>At the same time in the Varia base.<p>

"Voooooiiiiiiiiii! Where the fuck is the boss?" Squalo roared. He was standing in the Varia's entranceway along with Belphegor, Lussuria, and Mammon.

"Ushishishi, the Boss kicked me out of his room a while ago," Bel said.

"He isn't ready yet? We've got to be at the Vongola base in twenty minutes. Twenty. Fucking. Minutes!" Squalo yelled back.

"Levi isn't here either," Mammon pointed out.

"No one cares about him," Squalo shot back.

"You know, I don't think the boss wants to go," Lussurria said before lowering his voice. "He heard that Tsunayoshi is going to be there."

"Vooiii! Who told him that! Damn it, I was trying to keep that quiet."

"I think Levi told him," Lussuria replied.

"Ushishi, that's probably why he's not here. I bet the boss killed him when he heard."

"No one cares about him – he's better off dead. We just need the boss to hurry up!"

"Shut up, scum," a voice growled from the stairs.

"Boss!" all the Varia members yelled.

"What took you so long?" Squalo added on to the end of his yell.

"None of your business," Xanxus replied. "Now, let's get this over with."

"Right," Squalo muttered as Mammon opened the front door.

"It sure is foggy out here," Lussuria sang as he stepped out and looked around. He could hardly see a few inches in front of him because of the fog.

"Ushishishi, don't run off and get lost, Shorty..." Silence. "...Shorty?"

Hidden in the mist outside, a group of three were circling around the Varia's entrance. One of the men lifted his hand to turn on a communication device that was situated on his ear. The other two men wore identical devices.

"The illusionist has left the mansion."

"Are they within range?"

"Only the illusionist."

"...Initiate sound."

"It's too soon. We haven't separated them yet!"

"We won't get another chance where the illusionist voluntarily leaves. This'll be a lot less suspicious. Initiate sound."

"Yes, sir." One of the men pressed a button on a remote control.

"Mammon, get over here!" Xanxus' voice rang out, but it sounded strangely quiet. Mammon turned towards the sound and began to float towards it. Mammon was slightly confused since the sound came from the opposite direction to where Mammon had thought the base was.

"Did you guys just hear something?" Lussuria asked.

"Only the fake prince shouting," Squalo replied.

"Oi, Shorty, don't ignore the prince," Bel called out again, ignoring Squalo.

"Stop talking to yourself, idiot," Squalo mocked.

"I think Mammon's gotten lost in the fog," Lussuria wailed.

"Serves the idiot right," Bel said, and Squalo groaned.

"Vooooiiiiii! Mammon, get your ass over here!" he yelled into the night. There was no reply.

"Hurry the fuck up!" Xanxus shouted. His anger had been slowly rising from the moment Bel had started yelling. "Just get rid of the fucking fog." Xanxus raised one of his guns in order to blast the fog away.

"Wait, Boss. You'll kill Mammon too if you do that!" Squalo yelled as he grabbed Xanxus' arm. Lussuria grabbed his other arm so he couldn't use his other gun.

"Get off me!" Xanxus roared.

"I'll go find Mammon," Bel said as he ran off into the fog, leaving Lussuria and Squalo to Xanxus' mercy.

* * *

><p>Back at the Vongola Mansion, Asari had arrived to accompany Tsuna to the main hall, only to find out he wasn't ready yet. He had managed to put his trousers on backwards and was currently struggling to tie his necktie correctly without strangling himself. The sight was becoming increasingly comical, so much that Asari had to mask the laughter that was trying to force its way out with a few coughs.<p>

Tsuna jumped at the sound as he realised someone had entered the room. He turned around, blushing, to see who it was.

Realising he had been noticed, Asari asked, "Do you need some help?" in the kindest voice he could manage.

"Y-yes, please," Tsuna answered, going redder.

Walking forward to stand in front of the dishevelled teen, he had to cough again before saying, "Shall we start with putting your trousers on the right way?" Tsuna looked away and nodded – he couldn't bring himself to speak.

After some fumbling with the bottom half of his attire, Asari set about freeing him from his tie, and then retying it for him. Tsuna tried very hard to avoid eye contact the entire time, so he ended up staring at Asari's hands. He noticed how rough they were, similar to Yamamoto's. They even had the same placement of callus that Yamamoto recently developed. Tsuna realised that Asari must be a swordsman as well, and a sense of creepiness settled in his stomach. Just how alike were they?

"Done," Asari announced as he smoothed out the tie. Tsuna snapped out of his daze and finally looked up at the man. If he hadn't known otherwise, he would have sworn he was looking at Yamamoto, or at least a relative of his. "Now, let's get going," he continued, unaware of Tsuna's musings. "We're already a little late." They left the room, and Asari led him to the middle of a hallway where Reborn and his guardians were waiting for him.

"You're late," Reborn said gruffly, but he didn't kick Tsuna because the boy needed to make a good impression in front of all the Mafia members that were in the room behind them.

"Sorry," Tsuna muttered as Asari guided him to stand in the middle of his guardians, next to Reborn.

"I can't wait, Tenth," Gokudera said with sparkles in his eyes.

"This is going to be extreme!" Ryohei yelled.

"Sounds fun, right, Tsuna?" Yamamoto said whilst grinning. Tsuna wished he could be as excited as his friends, but inside he felt like a nervous wreck.

"Shut up, all of you," Reborn commanded, and they all complied.

Tsuna shifted awkwardly from one foot to another as he fiddled with the cuffs of his shirt, stopping only when the ornate doors opened in front of him.

* * *

><p><strong>Done<strong>


End file.
